Stage musical of Nativity! to open next year

A stage musical based on the Debbie Isitt Nativity films will open at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre next year.

The show, which will be written and directed by Isitt, opens at the Birmingham Rep on October 20, prior to a small tour. This includes the Sheffield Lyceum, the Palace Theatre in Manchester and the Hammersmith Apollo.

It is scheduled to end its run at the Leeds Grand Theatre in January, 2018.

The show has music and lyrics by Nicky Ager and Isitt, with choreography by Andrew Wright and design by David Woodhead. The lighting is by Tim Mitchell, sound by Tom Marshall and musical supervision by George Dyer.

The show is co-produced by Jamie Wilson, Entertainment One (eOne), Ramin Sabi, Belgrade Theatre Coventry and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Isitt said: “I’ve always believed that Nativity! would make a fantastic stage musical. It is so full of joy and the children are so sweet and funny and the songs so catchy that it lends itself to being the perfect Christmas musical. Now we’ve been able to assemble our theatrical dream team, I can’t wait to get started on creating an unforgettable stage show.”

Matt is news editor for The Stage, having started as the newspaper’s broadcast reporter. He covers all areas of the industry in his role, but has a particular interest in musical theatre. Matt studied acting at Bretton Hall and presents a monthly theatre news round up on BBC London Radio.